Aussie troops attacked in East Timor

AAP
August 7, 2007 - 9:49AM

Australian troops and UN personnel in East Timor have been attacked by gangs of rock-throwing youths following the elevation of former guerilla fighter and president Xanana Gusmao to the job of prime minister.

The United Nations said the situation in the capital Dili remained volatile, with groups of youths attacking security personnel with rocks and blocking roads with piles of burning tyres.

UN spokeswoman Allison Cooper also said there had been reports of gunshots.

"They are not throwing rocks at each other, they are throwing rocks as those people trying to contain the violence, the UN, ISF (International Stabilisation Force) and PNTL (East Timor National Police)," Ms Cooper said.

"The groups around the IDP (refugee) camps, there would be dozens (of rock throwers), but in other isolated areas, there are just a few youths, two to five.

"It really doesn't look like a systematic, coordinated political revenge attack," she said, adding that it appeared to involve mainly groups of disaffected youths.

She described the violence as sporadic and isolated.

The unrest follows President Jose Ramos Horta's announcement on Monday that Gusmao would lead the next government, a coalition of major parties, after five weeks of negotiations following the recent parliamentary elections.

East Timor's dominant Fretilin party - which won the most votes in the election but which fell short of the majority needed to rule - has denounced the decision, declaring the new government is illegal.

It has refused to attend parliament since last week.

"As a consequence of the president's decision, Fretilin declares that it will not cooperate with a government that is unconstitutional," the party said in a statement.

"The party ... will do everything available to the party to raise awareness amongst the people so that they can combat through legal means the usurping of power, to contribute to the ending of violence and to re-establish law and order which will lead to peace and stability in Timor-Leste."

Authorities have long feared that the announcement of the new government could inflame tensions, and security has remained tight around Dili since the June 30 poll.

Another potential flashpoint could come with the inauguration of Gusmao on Wednesday.

The head of the UN mission, Atul Khare, had met with Fretilin secretary general and former prime minister Mari Alkatiri to discuss the latest violence, UN spokeswoman Ms Cooper said.

"In this meeting, Mari Alkatiri (said) that property damage and throwing stones at UN cars was unacceptable," she said.

The declaration of the new government follows five weeks of bickering between the parties over the formation of the new government.

Analyst Sophia Cason, of the International Crisis Group, said the outbreak of violence was expected, but that people hoped it would die down within a few days.

"I think they just want to protest their unhappiness with the decision," she said.

"Xanana Gusmao was a divisive figure during the crisis last year, a lot of people who voted for Fretilin were voting against him.

"They are also expressing their unhappiness that Fretilin is no longer in government."

About 1,000 Australian troops have been in East Timor following an outbreak of violence in April last year in which 37 people were killed and 150,000 displaced from their homes.

Cason did not believe Fretilin was overseeing the recent violence, but feared it would continue unless the party came to terms with its new, opposition, role in parliament.

"Unfortunately if they continue to say ... that it's an illegitimate government, it will inflame tensions," Cason said.

"It will inevitably make people more tense and more unwilling to accept the result.

"It's not really unexpected for them to say that, but hopefully they will stop saying that soon so they can be a strong opposition."

There were no reports of injuries to security personnel.